Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the answer is yes. As I noted, our government has made several investments to address hate crime in Canada. The $5-million expansion of the SIP, which I mentioned, includes programs in my riding and in other ridings across the country. Our government has acknowledged the realities of racism and prejudice in the country, something not all parties are prepared to do. We are committed to…
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Mr. Speaker, everyone in this country has the right to live their life free from fear of attack or abuse because of who they are as an individual. Hatred that targets people based on race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability or any other personal characteristic is counter to Canadian values. Everyone in Canada deserves a safe space to be themselves and to thrive. U…
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Mr. Speaker, as we all know, auto theft is a very serious problem in Ontario, in Quebec and across the country. It requires consultation with experts to find a proper solution, not slogans or simple criticism that does not really address the problem. Today, we had the auto summit. We brought in people from all the provinces, the police associations and different levels of government. They are goin…
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Mr. Speaker, I will agree with him insofar as the facts do not lie. Some people just have a problem interpreting them. The reality is that we have toughened the sentencing requirements for auto theft. We have improved and strengthened the bail system. We have improved the system in a way that is going to protect Canadians and keep them safe.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said already, this a problem that requires consultation with all the parties involved: industry, different levels of government and the law enforcement community. Slogans are not going to find a solution. Jenni Byrne has obviously been hired by the bumper sticker industry, and that is her pool over there for drafting them.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg North. I am pleased to rise to speak to this motion and to illustrate our action in taking up the fight against organized crime and auto theft. It goes without saying that Canadians must be able to live free from fear of crime in their neighbourhoods. Not only can auto theft cause financial devastation, but it also makes people fe…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the member already knows where I stand on cutting police budgets. I disagree with any effort taken by a municipal government that will somehow limit or curtail the ability of the police forces to do their job. This is a serious problem, and we do not deny it is a serious problem, but serious problems require serious solutions, not slogans. The Leader of the Opposition held a p…
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Mr. Speaker, I would just say that there is no such thing as a no-name member in this House. However, anybody who stands in this House or outside this House and accuses any other member of being soft on crime is being disingenuous and it is disrespectful to the people who live in this country, because everybody in this House, regardless of political stripe, believes in law and order.
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Mr. Speaker, the reason behind the motion is simple: It is politics. The Leader of the Opposition read something in the paper and thought, “Oh, here's something I can talk about and score a few political points”. Let us be honest. However, what more can be done is why we are convening this meeting on Thursday. As I said earlier, it has to be a collaborative effort by all parties involved. Auto man…
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Madam Speaker, the short answer is that the Ukrainians want it in there. I do not know what else there is to say in answer to that question. I have spoken with members of the Ukrainian parliament. I have spoken with members of the Ukrainian community. I was in the room when President Zelenskyy signed the agreement. Ukrainians want it in the agreement; it is as simple as that. An agreement is somet…
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Madam Speaker, I am happy to sit down with the member afterward, work through this and talk about the concerns he has raised to see whether we can find a compromise and a solution.
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Madam Speaker, as everybody did, I spent time in my constituency over Christmas and in January. I am very fortunate to have a large Ukrainian constituency. It is a community I have known and worked with since I was a child. Over the holidays, I attended many functions. I spoke with community leader and business leaders. I spoke with people approaching me and trying to find ways to work with govern…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak this morning about an issue that is very important to Canada, to Ukraine and to the constituents in my riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore. Of course, I am speaking about the free trade agreement between Canada and Ukraine. We are not here debating carbon pricing. It is my honour to stand today in support of the legislation that would implement the mo…
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Madam Speaker, I have had the pleasure of working with the member on a number of very important issues, and I have a lot of respect for his approach to politics. I also want to add my thanks to members of the Canadian military because we all know the good, hard work and effort they put in on our behalf. With respect to the member's question, I would be happy to speak with him off-line, on another …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I am the so-called lost Liberal the member is referring to. I was at that committee. I voted the way I did and I am proud I did. I stood up for unilingual French-speaking citizens in the province of Quebec. I stood up for English speakers and minorities across the country in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. The commission is going to be bilingual in nature. It is goi…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am thrilled to stand in support of my colleague today in seconding Motion No. 75, recognizing the great contribution that Polish Canadians have made in building this country, naming May 3 as Polish constitution day and the month of May every year as Polish heritage month. First, I want to congratulate and thank my colleague from Mississauga East—Cooksville for this initiative. It …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Office of the Minister of Justice met with the Mayor of Swan River virtually on May 29, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the request of the Mayor. This meeting was attended by a Senior Policy Advisor from the Office of the Minister of Justice and by an Advisor, Parliamentary and Regional Affairs (West and North). The meeting was productive, and it was valuable to hear the per…
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Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice supports the Government of Canada’s commitments to Gender-Based Analysis Plus, or GBA Plus, to help ensure that federal initiatives are responsive and inclusive. The department’s Policy on Gender-Based Analysis Plus: Applying an Intersectional Approach to Foster Inclusion and Address Inequities defines the guiding principles and key steps for the integration …
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to legal expenses incurred by the government related to the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition v. Canada (Environment and Climate Change) litigation, to the extent that the information that has been requested is or may be protected by any legal privileges, including solicitor-client privilege, the federal Crown asserts those privileges. In this case, it has only waived sol…
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Mr. Speaker,the Department of Justice undertook an extensive preliminary search in order to determine the amount of information that would fall within the scope of the question and the amount of time that would be required to prepare a comprehensive response. The level of detail of the information requested is not systematically tracked in a centralized database. The Department of Justice conclude…
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Mr. Speaker, parliamentarians perform a pivotal role in Canada’s Westminster system of government by studying and passing legislation, deliberating on matters of national concern, and generally holding the government to account. The Government of Canada consistently strives to be as forthcoming with parliamentarians as possible, while respecting its legal obligations to treat certain types of info…
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Mr. Speaker, the only expenditure engaged by the Canadian Human Rights Commission in relation to the study and publication of the discussion paper on religious intolerance, published in October 2023, was for the translation of the document from English to French. The total cost for the translation of “Discussion Paper on Religious Intolerance” was $73.08.
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Mr. Speaker, until recently, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, CIRNAC, and Indigenous Services Canada, ISC, were part of the same department. In 2019, the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada split to create the separate departments of CIRNAC and ISC. Consequently, in this reply, reports are combined for CIRNAC and ISC, as some litigation files have both ISC a…
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Mr. Speaker, when I say my heart goes out to this family, I say that on behalf of every member in this chamber. No family should have to experience what this family is currently going through. We recently passed Bill S-12 in this House, which addresses some of these concerns about online safety. The protection of children in our society is of utmost importance. I have a commitment from this side o…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition talks about fighting for freedom in Canada when we live in the freest country in the world. He has hijacked the word for partisan political purposes. He had a chance to stand up for Ukraine, which is truly fighting for freedom, two days ago, and he said no. It is appalling. The opposition lets domestic petty politics interfere with issues that should be is…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, what a wonderful occasion it is today to welcome Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration to Ottawa. Elected as Sikyong in 2021, he is the voice of the Tibetan people around the world, including right here in Canada. He also served as the speaker of the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration. I think of the thousands of Tibetans across our communities in C…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
One minute is definitely not enough time to respond to that rhetoric, Madam Speaker. My mother used to say that common sense is not that common. I give members exhibit A. This government is doing everything it can to fight climate change. We are standing up for people in my community and we are standing up for people in the member's community. The five generations of farmers he is talking about ar…
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Madam Speaker, let me just start from the beginning. The minister has spoken loudly and clearly, denouncing all forms of hate. If he does not believe me, he should follow him on Twitter and he will see what I am talking about. Everyone in this country has the right to live their life free from fear of attack or abuse because of who they are as an individual. I want to begin by condemning what we s…
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Madam Speaker, to suggest that any member from any side of this House, or a minister and a member of this government does not stand for the things that he is talking about, is outrageous. He should acknowledge the fact that this government, this minister, has stood firmly and proudly against all forms of hate and our government has taken significant steps in moving forward. I would ask this member…
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Madam Speaker, if the member for Battle River—Crowfoot thinks that defending the country from the perils of climate change is left-leaning ideology, then he sees the world through a different lens than I do. Our government understands how important this issue is. Our government understands the impact that climate change is having in our country. We cannot turn on the news without watching the deva…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Nunavut for raising the important issue of the Grassy Narrows situation. I can tell her that I have been to Grassy Narrows. She may have heard me mention earlier this evening that I was born in Thunder Bay, and I am familiar with Grassy Narrows. I am aware of what has been happening there, which is why I went. That is why I went many years ago. It is b…
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Madam Speaker, the funding has been approved, as the member quite rightly pointed out. The request has been made to the Treasury Board. I am prepared to undertake to explore this issue further and get back to her if she wishes.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the House was scheduled to debate Bill C-57, the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement. Instead, the Conservative Party played procedural games by moving a concurrence motion that prevented debate on this important piece of legislation. In recent months, the leader of the Conservative Party has become silent on Ukraine. He has never advocated for military, humanitarian or eco…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I stand to highlight the recent passage of Bill S-12, which amends the Criminal Code, the Sex Offender Information Registration Act and the International Transfer of Offenders Act. This bill received royal assent yesterday. I want to express my gratitude to all parties and the Senate for its support and dedicated efforts in acknowledging the significance of this legislation and …
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Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate my friend's student. I know what an honour it is to be a mentor to young students who are entering the profession and it is quite something when they reach their goal, so well done. First off, I was there and the minister was not hiding behind anybody. Let us make that clear, for starters. This bill is quite clear and we had extensive debate. I really enjoy wo…
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Madam Speaker, today I rise to speak about Bill S-12, an act to amend the Criminal Code, the Sex Offender Information Registration Act and the International Transfer of Offenders Act. The bill was reported back to us with some modifications by members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights following their careful study of its proposals. Bill S-12 proposes amendments to both the publ…
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Madam Speaker, the focus of this bill is victims' rights. Every section of the bill and every discussion we had with respect to the bill was with that in mind. The publication ban provisions, in particular, were entirely focused on victims' rights and making sure that they have the information that they need when they are caught up or involved in the legal system. I share the member's concern, and…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, yesterday marked the fifth annual Canadian Beer Day. This year's theme was “Passion and Pride: The People Behind Canadian Beer”. It celebrates those who brew our beloved beer, sell it, deliver it, serve it or simply enjoy it. Canadian brewers play a pivotal role in all of our communities across the country, employing 21,000 Canadians directly and supporting 149,000 hard-working famili…
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Madam Speaker, we are fully aware of the Government of Saskatchewan's proposed use of the notwithstanding clause. We are dead set against the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause in any circumstances. The notwithstanding clause is intended to protect minority rights, not suppress them. In light of the decision by the court in Saskatchewan yesterday, we would have thought that the Governme…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for sharing those stories. Her speech was very powerful and quite moving. Frankly, I applaud her for bringing this bill forward. I know that the member is aware of a previous bill that passed through this House, Bill S-233, regarding the consideration of electronic monitoring in intimate partner violence cases. There is some potential for conflict bet…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join the second reading debate today of Bill S-205, an act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to another act, interim release and domestic violence recognizance orders, which was passed in the Senate this past April. I think all members would agree that the objective of Bill S-205 is laudable. The proposed amendments aim to better protect…
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Mr. Speaker, one thing that always amazes me about this House is how much time we spend debating things we agree on. Today appears to be one of those occasions. We have talked about how long it took to get things done and how this began a year ago. We are here now and have a good piece of legislation before us, so my question for the member is whether he is going to support it.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, who was my predecessor in this role, for the question. He has big shoes that I have to fill, and I want to thank him for everything he did in setting the stage for me. We have heard today from some of the members opposite about how long it took, 246 days, to get this piece of legislation to now pass. However, if we want a piece of legislation to pass in its pro…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to add my thanks to the member for his words today. I have had the pleasure of working with him on the justice committee for many years. I want to thank him for his hard work on intimate partner violence, and for his words today in support of this bill. He has raised, a number of times today, the need to get this bill urgently passed. The leader of the official opposition…
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Richmond Hill. This being my first time rising in my new role as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, I hope members will indulge me for a moment. I want to thank the Prime Minister for placing his confidence in me. I want to say how much I look forward to working with our newly minted Ministe…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his comments; I look forward to working with you on the justice file going forward. I was very pleased to hear your enthusiasm about moving forward at such a rapid pace today. My—
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Madam Speaker, since the member is interested in moving so quickly, will he go back to his lobby, speak to his colleagues, rally behind his leader and agree to get this bill passed today, as he promised he would do upon the return of Parliament?
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Madam Speaker, as for atoms, I know the member is particularly fond of them. However, it is an impossible question to answer. All I can say is that we need to continue to work with all of the communities I mentioned earlier to keep moving forward. If there are further measures that need to be taken to make our communities safe, we will do it.
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Madam Speaker, on calling us “crime rate deniers”, as I said in my speech, how is that productive in this discussion or in any other discussion? What kind of message does that send to Canadians? If she or any other member of the House think that anybody on this side of the House is soft on crime and wants bad guys out on the street, they are just wrong, and everybody knows it, so I ask the member …
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association respecting its bilateral visit to the United Kingdom held in London, England, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, from October 24 to 27, 2022.
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